Thursday, February 14, 2013

earl grey cupcakes with lavender swiss meringue buttercream

happy valentine's day!whether you love or hate this holiday, there is no denying that at the very least, it is an excellent excuse to eat something sugary and delicious. i myself have mixed feelings about valentine's day, but always like an opportunity to be a fatty... which is why i made these earl grey cupcakes with lavender swiss meringue buttercream.i am really into earl grey and lavender. separately // or combined // in my dessertsi made these recently, without having a clear idea on how they'd turn out, because i wasn't really sure what i was doing. luckily, everything went smoothly, and they were well received by a handful of taste-testers.

makes about 52 minis, or roughly 18-20 regular cupcakesi halved the recipe and made minis

ingredients

1 cup almond milk *

4 earl grey tea bags

1 cup white sugar

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1 stick of butter, room temp

4 large eggs

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

a few drops of lavender extract (optional- but also used in the frosting)

in a small saucepan, heat the milk until it's barely bubbling. turn the heat off, and steep the tea bags for about thirty minutes. i chose tazo earl grey infused bergamot + lavender to pair with the frosting. squeeze the tea bags as much as possible to get the excess liquid out, so you don't lose too much of the liquid (i capped the milk back up to the full amount before using). discard teabags. set aside prepared milk.

sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. set aside.

cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until incorporated. add the sifted flour/baking powder/salt mixture in a few batches, alternating with the tea-infused milk, beating until combined. at this time, you can also add a few drops of lavender extract if you wish to enhance the flavor profile.

spoon batter into prepared cupcake pans until 2/3 full. bake for 16-22 minutes for mini cupcakes at 350F. about 22-26 minutes for regular cupcakes (this one is just a rough guess).

*i used almond milk, but you can use reg milk

i used martha stewart's swiss meringue buttercream recipe for the frosting, and added lavender extract at the end, during the final blending (and followed her instructions about the coloring). i suggest starting with a conservative 1/4 tsp of lavender extract and taste, working your way up to a strength that you like.

the result is a not too sweet, moist cupcake with subtle (but notable) flavors. enjoy!if you find yourself desperate for a card today, it's not too late-- download and print my free valentine's day card.